Following the embarrassing Coppa Italia elimination, Juventus decided to prepare for their next match in a training camp.
The Bianconeri were widely expected to surpass Empoli in the quarter-finals of the domestic cup, especially with the tie held at home. Nevertheless, they were dumped from the competition after falling short in the penalty shootouts, much to the dismay of the furious home crowds at the Allianz Stadium.
After the contest, Thiago insisted he feels ashamed of the result and overall display, while Mattia Perini echoed his manager’s statements.
Therefore, it was decided that the group will hold a training camp to prepare for Monday’s Serie A contest against Hellas Verona. Several sources insisted that this measure shouldn’t be considered a punishment for the underperforming players, but simply a tactical ploy to allow the squad and the technical staff to solidify their bond and shift back their focus towards the crucial next contest.
Although a meeting with Verona isn’t exactly a top clash, but it is paramount for the Bianconeri to collect their third straight Serie A victory, as it would launch them straight back to title contention, putting them only six points adrift from league leaders Inter who drew with their closest chasers Napoli on Saturday.
So according to La Gazzetta dello Sport via JuventusNews24, Motta made one key request when addressing his players, simply demanding a new attitude.
The manager had already emphasised the importance of entering the contest with the right approach, insisting that this was the club’s undoing against Empoli.
“In the first half, there was a complete lack of the required attitude, it means that I didn’t convey to the boys what it means to play in a game like that in a Juventus shirt. You can misplace passes, you can miss shots. But you can’t lack the correct attitude. It was a very important game for us and we got it completely wrong,” said the 42-year-old in his post-match comments.
